Google is launching a new native Gmail application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch today, which is now available in the iTunes App Store. As recently revealed by TechCrunch writer MG Siegler on his personal blog, one of the app’s most important features is its ability to do push notifications. The app will also include search, autocomplete, support for attachments, priority inbox access, labels and other standard email features like archiving, deleting and reporting spam.

For many, the new app should be an improvement over the already available Web-based application for Gmail because of its support for push notifications – something that the iPhone itself can’t do for Gmail without hacking it to work through Exchange. That alone may be reason to switch.

UPDATE: Ugh! According to early reviews (and tons ofTwitter complaints), the push notifications feature is broken and the app doesn’t support multiple accounts. C’mon Google, get it together.

http://twitter.com/#!/Scobleizer/status/131773218825580544

http://twitter.com/#!/parislemon/status/131773672687009793

Priority inbox is also accessible in the new app, as you can swipe to the right to reveal the list of folders in an interface that looks inspired by (copied from?) Facebook’s recent iPhone/iPad app update.

On the iPad, Gmail’s app includes a split pane view, like Apple’s own mail app, but with Gmail’s own take on threaded conversations:

Via Google’s official blog post, the complete list of features for the new app includes the following: